Tougher human trafficking laws get results in Texas

Published 5:30 am, Friday, September 18, 2009

Advocates for human trafficking victims say Texas lawmakers have strengthened state legislation aimed at prosecuting traffickers, leading to the first batch of indictments since Texas first criminalized human trafficking in 2003.

San Antonio prosecutors in August secured multi-count indictments under the state law in cases involving the trafficking of two children, ages 13 and 15, said Sgt. Chris Burchell, a investigator with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

Footage of I-10 closed and the trafficGodofredo Vasquez, Houston Chronicle

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With recent changes in state law, Burchell said, “peace officers in Texas are going to be empowered to the job.”

Law enforcement officials have long described Texas as a major corridor exploited by human traffickers. According to the U.S. State Department, between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year, with nearly one in five victims of human trafficking traveling through Texas.

Texas gained the distinction of being the first state in the U.S. to criminalize human trafficking in 2003, but no cases were prosecuted under the original law in part because it lacked “teeth,” said Robert Sanborn, president of the Houston organization Children at Risk, which aims to combat human trafficking.

That 2003 law was strengthened in following years, including the past legislative session. In August, Gov. Rick Perry signed legislation that eases the burden of proof for prosecutors handling child human trafficking cases in Texas. Under the new law, prosecutors no longer have to prove that traffickers knew the victim was a minor.

The legislation also requires local law enforcement to undergo training on human trafficking and established a statewide human trafficking task force in the state Attorney General's Office.

On Friday, local law enforcement and non-profit advocates for human trafficking victims kicked off the city's Human Trafficking Awareness week with a press conference at the City Hall annex.

Local hub

Houston is considered a hub for traffickers, officials said, in part because of its diverse population, proximity to the U.S.-Mexico border and international air and sea ports. Recognition of the growing human-trafficking problem locally has spawned coalitions and task forces that include law enforcement agencies and nongovernmental organizations.

“Houston has become the American hub for human trafficking,” Sanborn said. “Girls from abroad and girls from the United States are brought to Houston, and it's here that they are beaten and raped and drugged into submission before being sent to clandestine bordellos all over the country.”

Victim advocates and Texas lawmakers have worked for years to craft strong anti-trafficking legislation.

Most traffickers generally are prosecuted under federal statutes, but since local authorities are often the first to encounter the victims in such cases, it made sense to give local law enforcement and prosecutors the power to present cases, said Jennifer Solak, a staff attorney with Children at Risk.